As a homeschooling family in Tennessee, you have access to a wealth of resources to help you provide your children with a quality, well-rounded education. From textbooks to online curriculum options, homeschool tutorials, co-ops, and enrichment programs, so much is available that it can easily become overwhelming to figure out what works best for your family.
One of the most important things you can do, if you haven't already, is connect with some form of healthy homeschool community. The best advice and wisdom you can draw from comes from those who are in the trenches with you. While some of the information on this page comes from our own experience, much of it comes from hearing from our D1A friends and family.
We hope you find this very helpful. We are happy to receive any feedback you would like to offer as well!
The right curriculum choice will depend on your child's learning style, your teaching approach, and your budget. Don't get caught up looking for the best curriculum available. Instead, focus on finding the curriculum that best fits your family. While not an exhaustive list, here are some popular curriculum options, in no particular order:
Sonlight offers a literature-based, Christ-centered curriculum that integrates bible, history, language arts, and reading through rich, engaging books, following a Charlotte Mason-inspired approach, making it ideal for families who love storytelling and discussion.
My Father's World combines Charlotte Mason, classical education, and unit studies with a biblical worldview in a way that is family-oriented, mission-focused, and emphasizes God's love for the world through geography and culture studies.
Abeka has been around a long time and provides a traditional, rigorous Christian curriculum that has been adapted for homeschoolers using textbooks, workbooks, and optional video lessons to deliver a structured, school-at-home experience.
BJU Press offers a concept-based Christian curriculum with a focus on academic rigor and biblical integration, providing textbooks, video lessons, and a Homeschool Hub for tracking progress, making it mom-friendly and flexible.
Master Books is a Creationist-centered, Charlotte Mason-inspired curriculum focusing on hands-on, literature-based learning that is gospel-centered, emphasizing apologetics and practical life skills alongside academics.
The Good and the Beautiful is a family-style, literature-based curriculum emphasizing character development and beautiful, wholesome content, integrating subjects like history and science for multi-age learning.
Heart of Dakota offers a Christ-centered, Charlotte Mason-inspired curriculum with hands-on activities and flexible schedules, tailored to individual learning styles while weaving biblical principles throughout.
AOP Christian Homeschooling provides faith-centered learning, developed with academic excellence and rigorous standards that are accessible in multiple, flexible formats and pacing to fit your schedule while offering support through every step of your homeschool journey.
Generations is a Christian homeschool ministry dedicated to helping parents disciple their children through God-centered curriculum, media, and resources, integrating Scripture into every subject — not as an add-on, but as the very foundation for all learning and life.
Apologia Christian homeschool curriculum is thoughtfully designed to put your child first, offering content that is engaging, challenging, and rewarding to inspire a lifelong love of learning through print, digital, and live class formats, equipping students and families to learn, live, and defend the Christian faith.
Veritas Press offers a classical Christian curriculum for grades 9-12 that is ideal for college-bound students, focusing on Great Books, Logic, and Rhetoric by providing options for self-paced lessons, live online classes, or teach-it-yourself manuals.
Memoria Press is a family-run publishing company offering a classical Christian curriculum designed for homeschoolers and private schools spanning Kindergarten through 12th grade, emphasizing the liberal arts, Western tradition, and a Christian worldview, focusing on rigorous academics to foster wisdom, virtue, and critical thinking.
Blossom and Root is a nature-based, Charlotte Mason-inspired secular curriculum for Pre-K through 5th grade, emphasizing creativity, literature, and hands-on exploration, fostering a love of learning through storytelling, art, and nature studies.
Oak Meadow is a Waldorf-inspired, secular curriculum for K-12, offering a holistic, creative education with a focus on experiential learning, arts, and nature.
BookShark is a structured, literature-based, secular curriculum for grades 9-12, that uses engaging books and discussion-based learning to teach history, language arts, and science over a 4-day week.
Notgrass History, Math-U-See, Art of Problem Solving, Real Science Odyssey, Brave Writer, Lightning Literature, NaNoWriMo Young Writers Program, History Odyssey, Curiosity Chronicles, Big History Project, Outschool, Code.org, Crash Course (YouTube), Teaching Textbooks (Math curriculum that is good for students with Dyslexia)
Cathy Duffy Reviews has been reviewing curriculum for the homeschooling community since 1984. She also reviews other resources she believes are important for those interested in homeschooling, education, the origins debate, and related political and spiritual topics.
Christianbook Curriculum Comparison Charts
Memoria Press is a family-run publishing company offering a classical Christian curriculum designed for homeschoolers and private schools spanning Kindergarten through 12th grade, emphasizing the liberal arts, Western tradition, and a Christian worldview, focusing on rigorous academics to foster wisdom, virtue, and critical thinking. Their Simply Classical curriculum has been adapted for students with special needs and significant learning challenges.
So Happy to Learn is a program geared for students with special needs, recognizing that every child is a unique and capable learner! This life-changing program aims to reduce frustration, give learners a chance to experience success, and instill a passion for learning.
HSLDA Special Needs Curriculum List (Membership required)
Buying used curriculum is a great way to save money on your homeschooling journey. You can find used materials online through websites like eBay and Amazon, or through local homeschool groups and consignment stores. Just be sure to check the condition of the materials before making a purchase.
There are many online learning platforms, some even free, available for homeschoolers in Tennessee. These platforms offer resources that can be used as your homeschool curriculum or to supplement it. Accredited online schools (Category III non-public virtual schools) do not meet the definition of a homeschool as defined in Tennessee state law. If you have questions or concerns about that, please contact us.
Here are some of the most popular platforms used by D1A families:
Easy Peasy is a complete, free Christian homeschool curriculum designed for students in Kindergarten through 12th grade, with the goal of helping and enabling families to homeschool who thought they couldn’t because of a lack of time, money, or know-how.
Ambleside Online is a free homeschool curriculum that uses Charlotte Mason's classically-based principles to prepare children for a life of rich relationships with everything around them: God, humanity, and the natural world. AO's detailed schedules, time-tested methods, and extensive teacher resources allow parents to focus effectively on the unique needs of each child.
Miacademy is a full K–8 homeschool curriculum that’s engaging, easy to use, and made to grow with your child. Your subscription includes all K–8 courses—math, reading, science, social studies, electives, and world languages—plus tools to track progress and attendance.
Power Homeschool is a leading provider of online courses for parents homeschooling their children, with a mission to empower parents with a wide selection of PreK-12 courses designed to meet the unique needs of their preschool, elementary, middle school, and high school students.
Time4Learning is a complete curriculum with video- and game-based courses across language arts, math, social studies, science and more, providing printable worksheets, activities, and access to their parent activity planner to plan lessons on your schedule and stay on track.
Khan Academy is a non-profit organization that offers free online courses in a variety of subjects that are suitable for all age groups and cover subjects like math, science, and history. Khan Academy's courses are self-paced, which means that your child can learn at their own speed.
Coursera is an online learning platform that offers courses from some of the world's top universities. Their courses are suitable for older students and cover subjects like computer science, business, and engineering. Coursera's courses are taught by professors from top universities and are often more rigorous than other online courses.
ABCmouse is an online learning platform that is designed for younger children. Their courses cover subjects like math, science, and reading. ABCmouse's courses are interactive and engaging, which makes them perfect for younger students.
Discovery Education is an online platform dedicated to providing engaging educational resources for students and teachers. It offers a vast library of multimedia content, including videos, interactive lessons, and virtual field trips, covering a wide range of subjects and grade levels. With Discovery Education, students can explore the world of science, history, math, and more through captivating multimedia experiences. Teachers can also access tools to create custom assignments and assessments, making it a valuable resource for both in-class and remote learning.
BrainPOP is an educational platform that offers animated videos, quizzes, games, and interactive activities designed to make learning fun and engaging. Covering a wide range of topics from science and math to social studies and arts, BrainPOP provides educational content for students of all ages. Its quirky characters, Tim and Moby, guide learners through complex concepts in a simple and entertaining way, making it an excellent resource for both classroom and homeschool settings.
Duolingo is a popular language learning app and website that offers courses in multiple languages. It's designed to make language learning enjoyable and accessible to learners of all ages. Duolingo's gamified approach uses bite-sized lessons, quizzes, and speaking exercises to help learners develop their language skills. With Duolingo, students can practice listening, speaking, reading, and writing in their chosen language, making it a valuable resource for homeschoolers looking to incorporate foreign language education into their curriculum.
Rosetta Stone is a renowned language learning platform that provides immersive language courses for students and learners of all ages. Known for its interactive and effective approach to language acquisition, Rosetta Stone offers courses in numerous languages, allowing learners to develop their language skills naturally. It emphasizes real-world conversation and pronunciation, making it an ideal choice for homeschoolers aiming to achieve proficiency in a new language. Rosetta Stone's adaptive technology ensures that learners progress at their own pace, tailoring the experience to their individual needs.
Whether stuck on one part of a math problem or struggling with a complex science concept, D1A students can now benefit from one-on-one support that is personalized to their needs and easy to access whenever they need it. Contact our office for details.
One of the primary benefits of joining a healthy homeschool community is the opportunity to network and collaborate with other homeschooling families. You can share resources, ideas, and support, and learn from the experiences of others. Additionally, opportunities like these often offer group classes and activities that can supplement your homeschool curriculum and provide socialization opportunities for your children.
To find and join local homeschool groups and co-ops in Tennessee, you can start by checking out resources such as TheHomeSchoolMom's Tennessee Homeschool Organizations & Support Groups page and their Tennessee Homeschool Co-ops & Academic Enrichment Classes page. You can also search for local groups through the Home School Legal Defense Association and on social media platforms.
Another valuable resource for homeschooling families in Tennessee is the Tennessee Homeschooling Association (THEA). This volunteer association offers support and resources to homeschooling families throughout the state, including graduation ceremonies, newsletters, web resources, curriculum fairs, conferences, support groups, co-ops, tutorials, and more.
Tennessee offers public and private opportunities for homeschoolers to participate in. According to the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association (TSSAA), a homeschooled student may be permitted to try out for public school sports by contacting the principal or athletic director of the member school in which the home school athlete wishes to participate.
Homeschoolers in Tennessee can also take advantage of local theater groups and arts programs. These programs offer opportunities such as drama, music, and visual arts. Your child can learn new skills and showcase their talents in local productions.
In addition to sports and arts programs, homeschoolers in Tennessee have many other extracurricular options, including field trips and enrichment classes.
To enroll or participate in extracurricular activities, contact the organization or program directly for eligibility requirements, such as age limits or skill levels.
The Homeschool Compass is a show that's all about finding confidence in community and help in the wisdom of those who've gone before.
BaseCamp Live equips you with practical insights, time-tested truths, and expert voices to help you navigate the challenges of education and discipleship.
The Commons: Keith McCurdy on the Value of Struggle discusses the value of struggle, how hardship makes us stronger, and how those truths can be applied by parents and teachers alike.
Path To College Podcast is a new show highlighting college-going stories and successes from across Tennessee.
Homeschooling to College and Career
College For TN provides information regarding dual enrollment, Tennessee Promise, Tennessee Hope Scholarship, and other financial aid for homeschool students.
Enrolling with D1A will help you satisfy the laws concerning alternative education, but it’s always recommended that families consider joining a legal association that helps homeschoolers.
Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) partners with over 90,000 member families, donors, homeschool leaders, legislators, and others who want to protect and advance this freedom while equipping parents with educational resources and Compassion grants. Contact us to find out how you can receive a membership discount.
Tennessee Home Education Association is comprised of eight chapters, covering the entire state of Tennessee, helping families navigate and understand what state legislation means for you.
